As you master basic online poker strategy, you’ll learn the need for aggression at the table. Playing cautiously is one thing, but amateur players often check when they should wager and call when they should be raising. High value opening hands like A-K should be played more aggressively as per online poker strategy. Poker Strategy starts with poker training videos, poker podcasts, lessons, tips, and strategy. Learn in-depth online poker strategy at one of the most popular training sites online. Tournament Poker Edge provides in-depth MTT training from the top live and online pros. Become a winning poker player here! Doyle Brunson's Poker Tournament Strategy - Early Stage Play. It may then come as a surprise to some that, for tournaments, Doyle Brunson’s poker strategy advice is to play very tight, at least in the beginning levels. For the first couple of blind levels Doyle is happy to sit back and be content with the pots that the cards allow him to win. Another great tournament course to consider is Upswing Poker, a product of three-time WSOP winner Doug Polk and fellow pro Ryan Fee. Shortly after launching Upswing Poker, Polk and Fee proved their bona fides on the felt by capturing the crown in the 2016 WSOP’s first-ever Tag Team tournament — so their students are in good hands.

I was recently asked to write an article for the school discussing 5 tips to winning poker tournaments, centred on the following 5 concepts. They all are very relevant to long term tournament poker success and somewhat inter-related as well. So without further ado, let’s get on with it.

Pay Attention to Stack Sizes

This is something that is mostly overlooked by novice players, but it’s crucial to your strategy when deciding to enter a pot. How deep are the stacks behind you? If there are 3 players with 10-20bb, and you are considering opening, are you going to call or fold should one of them shove? Does the big blind player have 7bb left? If you open raise and they go all in, you will be priced in to call. If your hand isn’t worthy of playing for their last 7bb then think twice before opening. Sometimes a spot that would normally be a steal isn’t one with those shorter stacks behind you. Likewise, are the stacks behind you deep? Increasing your open raise sizing vs. deeper stacks may be in order. All of these nuances are missed if you’re not paying attention to stack sizes.

The first thing that you want to do before playing in a video poker tournament is figure out the rules and other details.

This is important because you must decide what kind of strategy is needed to reach the prize money. You must also figure out what tourneys best suit you.

Online poker tournaments strategy tips 1x2Online poker tournaments strategy tips 1x2Strategy

Here are the standard types of video poker tournaments:

  • Buy-In Without a Fee – These events see 100% of players’ buy-ins go directly into the prize pool.
  • Buy-in with a Fee – The casino that’s hosting the tournament takes a small fee from each buy-in. In most cases, the fee includes an extra 5%-10% on top of the buy-in (e.g.,$100 + $10).
  • Open Freeroll – A freeroll is aptly named, since you don’t have to pay anything to enter. The “open” aspect refers to how anybody at the casino can enter because there aren’t any requirements.
  • VIP Freeroll – These tournaments also don’t require players to pay an entry fee. The catch is that you have to be a certain VIP status to be invited.

Online Poker Tournaments Strategy Tips 2019

You should use your specific situation to decide what type of events you’re willing to play.

A well-funded video poker player who wants to compete for big prize money will find open freerolls to be a waste of time.

This is because open freerolls can draw hundreds or thousands of players. And the prize pools are generally small, meaning a tiny percentage of the field will cash.

On the other hand, any gambler with a small bankroll should consider open freerolls because these offer a chance to win real money.

Another consideration comes in with VIP freerolls. Specifically, you want to decide whether the freeroll prize pools make it worth attaining a specific loyalty status.

You should also look at the other rewards being offered in the program to see if it’s worth meeting the VIP status requirements.

When it comes to buy-in tournaments, you obviously want to play in events where you don’t have to pay extra fees. But keep in mind that tourneys with house fees can be the most lucrative in termsof prize pools.

As for the rules, you need to know if a tourney has a time limit, credit limit, hand limit, or a combination of these. Here are different formats featured in video poker tournaments:

Online Poker Tournaments Strategy Tips 10

  • Timed – These tournaments last for a specific number of minutes (e.g., 20 minutes). The winner is the player with the highest score when the time is up.
  • Credit Limit – Entrants continue playing until their credits run out. The winner is determined by who has the most credits when everybody is finished playing their round.
  • Credit and Time Limit – Ends when the time limit is reached. But players can also run out of credits before the time limit.
  • Hand Limit – The tournament runs for a specific number of hands (e.g., 300 hands). The winner is the player who has the highest bankroll when the hands are finished.
Strategy

Timed tournaments are the most common in video poker. These see you play as quickly as possible in hopes of winning the most credits.

For example, you may be given 30 minutes to rack up as many credits as possible. When the half hour is up, players’ scores are tallied, and a winner is determined.

You want to play as quickly as possible in any timed video poker tourney. This ensures that you give yourself the best possible chance to win lots of credits.

Online Poker Tournaments Strategy Tips For Beginners

Hand limit events are also fairly common. An example would be a tournament that lasts for 500 hands.

Online Poker Tournaments Strategy Tips 1x2

You should take your time with these tourneys because there’s no pressure and you want to make the best decisions.